20,000 Troops Deploy In Jakarta Amid Indonesian President’s Wiretapping Scandal (Worthy News Alert)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (Worthy News) – Indonesia’s military is deploying more than 20,000 personnel to the capital, Jakarta, amid an escalating wiretapping scandal involving President Prabowo Subianto, Worthy News learned.

The mobilization began amid an investigation into an alleged illegal surveillance operation targeting the president that led to the detention of three senior police generals, including his recently appointed chief of staff.

Presidential officials also warned that the alleged surveillance could amount to conduct leading toward treason.

Christians have expressed concern about the situation, saying they fear for the future of the Muslim-majority nation. Their worries came as video footage obtained by Worthy News showed a long convoy of military vehicles entering the capital.

Military reinforcements were scheduled to begin arriving Wednesday, the same day President Prabowo dismissed his chief of staff, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, over allegations of illegal surveillance.

SENIOR GENERALS DETAINED

Listyo, who is not related to the president, had served as Indonesia’s national police chief for five years before becoming presidential chief of staff last month. Lieutenant General Ariyo Windutomo was appointed acting chief of staff.

Listyo had been appointed national police chief under Prabowo’s predecessor, Joko Widodo, whose son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is now Indonesia’s vice president.

Police identified the other detained generals as Ahrie Sonta Nasution, head of the National Police’s legal division, and Eko Hadi Santoso, a senior instructor at the National Police Education and Training Institute.

Presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi warned that the alleged surveillance could endanger national security and the safety of the country’s leadership.

“We believe the actions may fall within the scope of offenses that could be considered acts of treason,” he told reporters Wednesday.

ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE

However, senior legal affairs minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said investigators had not found evidence of treason, though the motive behind the alleged surveillance remained unclear.

Investigators allege that the unauthorized surveillance took place between 2025 and 2026, targeting the president, Cabinet ministers, politicians, journalists, civil society leaders and business executives.

The suspects allegedly ordered the deletion of intercepted communications in late October to conceal evidence of the operation.

Police have questioned 10 witnesses and three experts and seized 11 mobile phones, an iPad and four flash drives.

The three generals face allegations involving illegal interception, unauthorized access to electronic systems and deletion of electronic evidence. Some offenses carry prison sentences of up to 10 years. The suspects have not publicly responded to the allegations.

MILITARY REINFORCEMENTS

As the investigation continued, Vice Admiral Yayan Sofiyan said 20,980 personnel were involved in the military operation in Jakarta, with another 13,140 on standby.

The deployment began on a smaller scale Monday with about 2,100 personnel from units already stationed in Jakarta, while reinforcements from outside the capital were scheduled to begin arriving Wednesday.

Armed forces spokesperson Major General Muhammad Nas described the deployment as a routine security measure intended to protect national stability and territorial integrity. Authorities have not established a connection between the troop movements and the wiretapping investigation.

However, a church worker told Worthy News that she feared a return to the bloodshed of May 1998, when more than 1,000 people were killed in riots and political unrest preceding the downfall of longtime President Suharto.

Suharto resigned on May 21, 1998, after 32 years in power, amid mass demonstrations, economic turmoil and mounting pressure from Indonesia’s political and military establishment. The current president, Prabowo Subianto, was Suharto’s son-in-law and a senior military commander during the 1998 crisis.

FEARS OF NEW VIOLENCE

The latest developments unfold while President Prabowo faces serious social tensions, declining public approval and financial market turmoil that has shaken investor confidence in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

Indonesia’s Jakarta Composite Index fell 3.78 percent Tuesday, following weeks of heavy selling that intensified after global index provider MSCI warned in October that the country’s stock market could lose its emerging-market classification.

On October 16, Indonesian shares suffered their steepest one-day decline since 1998, while the rupiah also weakened against the U.S. dollar. The market turmoil has raised concerns about further capital outflows, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the latest political and security developments.

The arrests have also raised questions about divisions within the political and military establishment of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, with approximately 287 million inhabitants.

Representatives of Indonesia’s substantial Christian minority fear the unfolding crisis could once again plunge the Southeast Asian nation into turmoil and bloodshed.